The Briefing Room
General Category => Politics/Government => Topic started by: mystery-ak on October 24, 2021, 12:35:51 pm
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Sanders on Medicare expansion in spending package: 'It's not coming out'
By Lexi Lonas - 10/23/21 10:19 PM EDT
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Saturday that the expansion of Medicare to include dental, hearing and vision coverage is staying in the human infrastructure bill despite doubts from President Biden.
Biden said Thursday during a CNN town hall that it would be a “reach” for the spending bill to include the Medicare expansion due to opposition from moderate Democrats Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Krysten Sinema (Ariz.).
Both Manchin and Sinema hold significant sway in a 50-50 Senate — Democrats need all 50 of their party's lawmakers to pass their social spending package through a process called reconciliation.
“The expansion of Medicare to cover dental, hearing and vision is one of the most popular and important provisions in the entire reconciliation bill,” Sanders tweeted on Saturday.
“It’s what the American people want. It’s not coming out,” he added.
more
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/578172-sanders-on-medicare-expansion-in-spending-package-its-not-coming-out